


I Hate Potions

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Background Relationships, Banter, Bets & Wagers, Big Gay Hogwarts, Big Gay Love Story, Cliche, Coming Out, Companionable Snark, Embarrassment, Fandom Allusions & Cliches & References, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Lookit All Those Tags!, M/M, Mild Language, Multi, Post-Order of the Phoenix AU, Potions, Potions Accident, School, Soulmates, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-01
Updated: 2013-08-01
Packaged: 2017-12-22 03:11:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/908207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something goes wrong in potions class. Hijinks, embarrassment, and a little bit of angst ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Hate Potions

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the HD Cliché Fest.  
>  **Official Clichés:** Potions Accident and Big Gay Hogwarts  
>  **Bonus Clichés that wrote themselves in when I wasn't looking:** bets/wagers, getting together, Hermione (and everyone) knew all along, soulmates
> 
>  **Notes:** So, I was a little over half-way through when I realized that Lee, Alicia, and Angelina wouldn't be there in Harry's sixth year, but I really needed to keep them and the NEWT potions class, so... creative license? AU to the end of OOTP, and all of HBP. Thanks to my betas, Drarryisgreen and Fluffy.

"Worthless, Potter," Snape sneered, eyeing Harry's cauldron.

Harry ground his teeth quietly, but refused to respond to the Potions Master's insult. Instantly, his mantra flashed in his mind. _I hate potions._ Next to him, Hermione gave him a reassuring nudge.

"Can you tell me why your potion is light purple instead of the off-violet it should be?" Snape demanded.

Harry sorted through several replies in his mind, rejecting 'there's a difference?' and 'because you're a horrible teacher?' and finally settled on his usual, "No, Sir."

Snape's sneer deepened, "of course you don't. Ten points from Gryffindor."

Harry mentally groaned and went back to slicing his Gurdy root, silently repeating his chant. _I hate potions._ When Harry had (amazingly, he thought) received the Outstanding Owl needed to make it into advanced potions, Hermione had had a long talk with him about biting his tongue in the professor's presence. So far it had worked, and he had only lost a small number of House points in potions class so far this semester.

NEWT level potions also meant that each student worked alone, and without Ron partnering him, Harry was ashamed to admit, his potions were actually coming out wrong less than usual. Hermione had also drilled into him the importance of double checking all instructions, and so he once again skimmed over the potion in his book, determined not to make another mistake. Perhaps the color thing would sort itself out by the end of class if he got every further step correct.

The potion only called for 1 teaspoon of the finely chopped root, so he sliced a little more and measured it, before quickly dumping what he needed into his cauldron. The rest of the root was rather large, and rather than risk Snape docking him more points for an untidy workspace (something else Hermione had mentioned in her pre-term lecture) he decided to put it back into his potions kit before moving on to the next step.

As he leaned over, movement caught the corner of his eye. Without thinking, his Quidditch-honed reflexes kicked in, and his hand shot out to catch the flying object. He had forgotten the large Gurdy root, however, and the object bounced through his fingers, causing both it and the root to slip into his cauldron. His gently simmering potion began to bubble and froth angrily, and the off-violet became a sickening red. Harry pulled back his outstretched hand and attempted to scramble away from his cauldron. He vaguely heard a gasp from Hermione before his cauldron exploded, and his world went black.

His last thought was his Sixth year mantra: _I hate potions._

((o))

Harry became aware first of murmured voices, and then of an extremely bright light. His eyelids flickered open and he squinted painfully against the glare. He recognized the windows that the too-bright afternoon light was streaming through. Gently, turning his head to the side, he saw Madam Pomfrey waving her wand over Hermione while the younger witch answered her quietly. Ginny and Ron were sitting between their beds, and they looked on worriedly. Wanting to see if Hermione was alright, Harry tried to sit up, but the movement made his head spin, and he groaned loudly.

"Mr. Potter, don't move!" Madam Pomfrey demanded. Harry obeyed, his head throbbing as he slid down onto his bed again. "Mr. Weasley, please give him the blue vial from my tray," she continued. "I'm almost done with Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, and then I'll be able to check on you. In the meantime, the potion will help with the headache."

Harry grunted in what he hoped sounded positive, and then obediently opened his mouth. Ron poured the blue potion into his mouth, and he swallowed quickly. Sinking back into the pillow, he willed it to work quickly. His eyes closed against the pain, he again listened to Madame Pomfrey and Hermione talking. A small hand snuck into his own, and he gave Ginny's palm a squeeze.

Within a few moments, the pain had dimmed greatly, and soon he heard Madam Pomfrey bustle over. "Now, Mr. Potter, open your eyes if you can," she said gently.

He obeyed, and when spots only danced before them for a few seconds, he was able to focus on the Mediwitch as she flicked her wand over him. "What happened?" he asked.

She frowned, but not at his question. "It appears from the witnesses that Mr. Malfoy threw something into your cauldron in potions class," she explained. 

Yes, he remembered that. Remembered trying to stop it and dropping his own extra ingredient in. "But what did it do?" he asked. "Will we be okay?"

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and paused her spell-casting. "I'm not sure what it did." she finally admitted. "Professor Snape was taking samples of it to analyze, but he won't be sure of the effects until he has figured out what caused the reaction."

"Gurdy root," Harry supplied. "And whatever Dr- Malfoy tossed in," he added. Whew, he had just caught himself there. Harry blamed the pain and confusion for his slip of the tongue. Usually he was able to keep his fantasies about _Draco_ far removed from the _Malfoy_ who Ron fought with.

"It looked like an eyeball," Hermione piped in, "but I only caught a glance of it."

"Gurdy root, too, you said?" Madam Pomfrey asked, looking a bit pleased.

Harry was about to nod, but thought better of it and instead said, "yeah, it was in my hand, it dropped in when I tried to catch the eyeball or whatever."

"Well that helps. I'll tell Professor Snape right away," the Mediwitch murmured, resuming her casting.

"Why don't you ask Malfoy what it was?" Harry asked, catching himself this time, but, unsure why they hadn't done that already, if they knew that the Slytherin boy was the culprit.

"That will take a little while," Hermione replied, a hint of giggle in her tone. When Harry dared to turn his head again to look at her, she was smirking and pointing behind him. Gingerly turning his head the other way, he saw that Draco was in the bed next to him. Beyond him were Parkinson, Greengrass, and Zabini, and a little further down appeared to be the Ravenclaws from his class.

"What-"

"The entire class was knocked unconscious by the explosion," Madam Pomfrey explained tersely.

"Wouldn't that have been a really powerful blast then?" Ron asked. "Wouldn't Harry have been more... I dunno... injured? Being so close to it?"

"It wasn't the explosion itself that caused this, although the two of you who were closest were knocked out by it," the Mediwitch replied. "According to Professor Snape, the explosion created a sort of vaporous cloud. He cast a Bubblehead Charm, but most of the students were not fast enough to do the same. Anyone who inhaled the fumes was rendered unconscious as well."

Harry considered this for a moment, and was about to ask more when someone behind him groaned.

"I'm coming, Mrs. Greengrass!" Madam Pomfrey called out, hurrying away. "Please don't move!" A flick of her wand and the tray of potions followed behind.

Harry wanted to watch her work, or talk with Ron and Ginny, or find out what more Hermione knew, but he felt his body sinking into the bed and his brain followed along. He began to suspect that the blue vial had contained more than a headache potion as the blackness once again claimed him.

((o))

The next morning, after Professor Snape had announced that he foresaw no ill effects from the potion vapor, Madam Pomfrey had allowed the students who had only inhaled the fumes to leave the infirmary. Hermione and Harry, having been caught in the blast itself, she kept until that afternoon, just to make sure that they had no lingering signs of concussion. Finally freed, and wearing fresh uniforms brought by Ron and Ginny, the quartet went down to dinner in the Great Hall, where the rest of the Gryffindor sixth years were anxiously waiting for them.

In the middle of the meal, Harry thought he saw something flickering over Hermione's head, but it didn't stay still long enough for him to figure out what it was. He tried to ignore it, but as the meal went on, similar flickers formed over the rest of his friends sitting nearby. When he would occasionally glance around the hall, he saw them there too, hovering over almost half of the students. He was going to write it off as too much time spent staring at the candle lights when he caught Hermione staring at the point over his head for an extra second.

"Herm, are you seeing something?" he asked quietly.

Her eyes widened, and she looked spooked. "Are you?" she finally replied.

Harry was about to deny it when Neville spoke up. "Oh thank Merlin, you two are seeing it too?"

Harry's head snapped to the side to look at the chubby boy. "You're seeing something too, Neville?" he asked.

"Misty bits, yeah?" Seamus spoke up. "Like shifting over people's heads?"

"Yeah!" Neville nodded vigorously.

Harry looked back at Hermione, who looked half relieved and half worried. "If they're seeing them too..." he began.

"Then it can't be the potion, yes," she finished. "But still, seeing strange things isn't natural. And given that Professor Snape doesn't yet know what the full effects are..."

"But almost everyone's got one," Ginny piped in. "Even the Professors."

As one, the Gryffindors turned to look at the Head Table, where, indeed, the misty forms shimmered over each professor there. "Are we the only ones seeing them?" Ron asked.

Harry glanced around the Hall. "Somehow, I don't think so," he replied. Everywhere he looked, students were looking around in confusion or speculation. A few were pointing surreptitiously, and a few small knots of Ravenclaws and Slytherins were huddled together tightly, just as he and his friends were. At the Head Table, Snape and Madam Pomfrey were deep in discussion, causing the small knot of worry in Harry's stomach to tighten.

A moment later, a chair scraping carried through the Hall, and all conversations abruptly ended as the students looked up at the Professors' table. Dumbledore stood there, smiling warmly at them all. "I gather that you have all noticed something strange this evening, yes?" he asked cheerfully.

There was a quiet murmur of 'yes,' from the students.

"I myself have experienced the same thing. We don't know, as yet, what is causing these apparitions, but we ask you to remain calm as we investigate. In the meantime, I have always found that a good night's sleep cures most ailments!"

Recognizing the dismissal, most of the older students rose. Hermione and Ron, as prefects, began to shepherd the younger years towards the door. Deciding that it wouldn't be a good time to snoop, Harry followed.

((o))

Harry stumbled out of bed the next morning, brushing his teeth and getting dressed almost by instinct. It wasn't until he was sitting in the Great Hall and taking a large bite of his eggs that he looked around properly. "Hermione, why is there a picture of Ginny over your head?" he head himself ask before he had even processed what he was seeing.

Hermione looked thoughtful. "Is that who mine is?"

"Yeah, can't you see it?"

She shook her head. "Did you see yours in the mirror this morning?" she shot back.

Harry thought about it. He wasn't even sure if he had _looked_ in the mirror this morning. "Erm, no. I didn't pay attention. Wait, who've I got?"

Hermione made a funny face, like she was trying not to laugh, before answering. "Malfoy."

"What?" Harry looked up, knowing it was futile, and of course saw nothing there. As Hermione giggled, he quickly looked around the Hall. Being a Saturday, most of the students were sleeping in, but a few Gryffindors were around. Lee Jordan and the three Quidditch Chasers were down at one end of the table, and he squinted at them. Angelina and Alicia seemed to have each other's faces floating over their own, and Katie Bell had a boy that he finally recognized as the Ravenclaw's Keeper. It took him a moment to place Lee's apparition, but his tired brain finally processed the fact that he had two floating faces over him, who couldn't be anyone other than Fred and George. "What?" he repeated.

Hermione smirked. "They've all come into focus." she explained. "Everyone's got someone else's face floating over their head. She glanced in the same direction as him and paused. "Well, at least one other person's face," she amended.

A commotion near the door made both Gryffindors look, and as such they witnessed the entrance of most of the Slytherin House. Malfoy strode forward at the center of his gaggle of followers, his gaze never wavering. From the looks he was receiving from Zabini and the others, however, Harry gathered that they had noticed the faces too. And had apparently been giving Malfoy a hard time about his face. The rest of the group was too far away for him to make out who they had, but he was sure he would find out soon enough.

"Dumbledore and Snape aren't here," Hermione said suddenly.

Harry spun around on his bench, and discovered that, sure enough, there were two large gaps at the center of the Head Table. "Pomfrey too," he added, scanning the table and finding another empty chair. The other teachers were there, with what appeared to be a small cloud from the magical ceiling hovering over their heads, obscuring any images that might be there. His stomach began to do flip flops in his gut and he was regretting the two bites of eggs he had already had. "I don't like this."

"Me neither," Hermione reassured him. "Come on, let's go find the others."

Abandoning their breakfast, they hurried back to the Tower.

((o))

Midmorning, a fiery scroll appeared in the Gryffindor common room. It opened itself, and Katie Bell, as Prefect, took it upon herself to read it out loud.

"I realize that many of you are confused right now, and that is quite understandable. The other Professors and I are working on a way to reverse this accident as we speak. If students would like to spend the rest of the weekend in their respective common rooms until this is fixed, we understand. Meals will be provided for those who wish it. Headmaster Dumbledore."

Katie stepped back, and the scroll remained in the middle of the room, bobbing gently. Katie looked over, to where the sixth years and the rest of the Quidditch team were sitting together. "What do you think?" she asked.

Her words seemed to release the rest of the students from their stupor, and excited talk broke out all over the room. Some students even rushed to the stairs to tell the rest of their housemates.

Harry frowned. "I assume they delivered one to every House, which means they're trying to keep us in our own common rooms, instead of in the shared spaces," he offered.

"It sounds as though they actually do know what it is," Hermione piped up. The others turned to her in surprise, and she continued. "He specifically said they are working on reversing it, not that they are trying to figure out what went wrong. Also, yesterday and this morning they were fine with us mingling with the others in class or at meals, but now they're doing everything but ordering us to stay in the Tower."

"I still don't understand how all of us have this, though," Seamus complained. "I'm not even in Potions!"

Harry flushed, knowing that everyone thought his explosion in class was to blame. "I hate potions." he muttered.

"What were you supposed to be making?" Alicia asked, smiling gently at his discomfort.

" _Aparitia Revelum_ " Hermione quickly replied. "It is used to detect a specific person in a crowd," she added. "Aurors use it when they have a suspect and can't find them, usually because they are using concealing spells or polyjuice to hide their identity. This allows them to find the person based on their true essence, rather than their put-on appearance."

"It has other uses too," Angelina said, a thoughtful frown on her face. "I remember... wait a minute!" she jumped up and ran up the stairs to the girls' dorm while the others waited. A moment later she returned with a heavy book. "I'm writing an essay for Potions, and this chapter mentioned the _Aparitia Revelum_ potion too," she explained as she quickly flipped through the pages.

"Ah! Here it is! 'The _Socius Adamo Revelum_ is a variation of the _Aparitia Revelum_ potion, caused by subtle manipulation of certain ingredients. The _Socius Adamo Revelum_ , rather than picking a person out of a crowd, will pick a person out of one's thoughts. When arranged marriages were popular, it was sometimes used by sympathetic parents to find a child's soulmate, in an attempt to give them a more tolerable match.'"

Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as she read, and when she finished, he sighed heavily. "So thanks to Dr- Malfoy, my potion turned into this other version?" he asked.

"Or something very similar," Hermione answered, now reading the rest of the text over Angelina's shoulder.

"Obviously Malfoy knew what he was adding, and he intended to embarrass Harry when his soulmate was revealed," Lee Jordan concluded.

"But it doesn't mention Gurdy root as one of the adjusted ingredients," Hermione frowned.

"Gurdy root?" Katie Bell piped up. "That's used to control the strength of certain potions. It can act as an amplifier for the other ingredients."

"So whatever Malfoy added changed the potion's intent, and then the Gurdy root amplified it?" Hermione concluded. Harry felt his face flush even more and he really wanted to sink through the floor. As much as he wanted to blame Draco, it seemed that this accident was at least partly his fault.

"Well that explains how the entire class was affected, but not the entire school," Ginny pointed out.

"Didn't you say it was a vapor?" Dean asked. "Isn't that how it got the rest of the classroom?"

Hermione suddenly lit up. "Of course! As soon as the door to the classroom was opened, it spread throughout the rest of the castle in the air!"

"Or the infected students breathed it onto their housemates," Katie concluded.

"And you think Dumbledore and the others know all this?" Ron asked. His eyes darting above his head. Though no one could see their own specter, the group had told him his showed Oliver Wood.

"Well look at how long it took us to figure it out once we tried," Neville pointed out. "He and Professor Snape have been working on it most of the week."

"But how do we know that's exactly what happened?" Ron persisted. "I mean, this wasn't the exact potion, right? Maybe it just shows people that we admire, or people we could be good friends with?"

Harry allowed his head to sink into his hands. Poor, poor Ron. The entire House had been assuming since second year that he and Hermione would eventually marry, and as oblivious as Ron appeared, Harry knew he had been thinking about it too. The presence of Oliver Wood and Ginny over their heads, however, seemed to dismiss all of those plans.

Honestly, he was surprised how few of his friends surprised him, other than Ron and Hermione. Neville's specter was of Luna, which seemed a good fit to Harry. Dean and Seamus had each other, which had surprised him a little bit, but not that much. Lavender and Parvati were matched as well, as were Alicia and Angelina. The pairing that initially shocked him the most was the presence of _both_ twins over Lee's head, but after a few minutes of thinking about it, Harry had adjusted to that too. And of course he already knew his own feelings for Draco ran far past admiration or simple friendship - if they could stop trying to hex each other, of course. He had never counted on the entire school knowing about his crush, however.

Someone nudged his shoulder, and Harry allowed himself to peek out at Ginny. She smiled sympathetically at him before asking the group, "So if the teachers all know what's going on, then why aren't they telling us?"

"And why do they want us away from the other Houses?" Hermione added.

"Because they don't know how to fix it yet," Harry found himself replying. "They don't want anyone to know what it is until they can make it go away." The others were looking thoughtful, so he blazed on. "And with Inter-House rivalries, it makes sense to keep us all separate."

"Of course!" Ginny snapped her fingers. "If the Slytherins figure out what we just did, they'll be able to figure out who everyone else is supposed to be with. They'll be able to tear apart established couples with different images, tease everyone about their mate..."

"And of course they'd figure it out, because Malfoy knew what he intended to do to Harry's potion." Lee pointed out. "We could really use Fred and George's strategic minds right now."

Harry tuned their replies out as he flashed back to that morning at breakfast, when the Slytherins had arrived. One or two of the younger ones had been looking around the hall, but most of the older snakes had been completely focused on Malfoy. Teasing Malfoy. Suddenly the light flashed on in his mind. If he was showing Draco, then the other boy had to be showing _him!_ Draco had thrown that ingredient into his cauldron, intending to see who Harry liked and tease him about it, but he had never expected it to be himself, or to undeniably prove it to his Housemates! The Snakes had been too busy teasing him at breakfast to even start to tease the other Houses.

Quickly reviewing the scene again in his mind, Harry thought carefully about Draco's reaction. Malfoy had been embarrassed beneath his stoic mask, true, but he didn't seem angry, or very upset, about the teasing. Annoyed, sure, but not homicidal. There might just be the smallest chance that he didn't _mind_ having Harry for a soulmate.

"Oh dear Merlin!" Seamus burst out, breaking Harry out of his thoughts.

"What?" Hermione demanded.

"Who does Snape fancy?" Seamus replied, his face screwed up in a grimace.

Several members of the group gasped at once, while Ron pretended to retch. "That's why they're keeping us in our Houses!" Ginny crowed.

Alicia took up the thread "because if we took meals in the Hall, then they would have to supervise, and we'd see their... oh my goodness!"

A wicked thought occurred to Harry, and it appeared to Lee at the same time, if the other boy's evil grin was any indicator. Harry cocked his eyebrow at the other boy and Lee nodded. As one, they got up to reread the flaming parchment.

" _If_ students would like to spend the rest of the weekend in their respective common rooms until this is fixed, we understand." Harry read.

"Meals will be provided for those _who wish it._ " Lee finished.

"What are you two talking about?" Ron asked.

Harry glanced at Ginny, who also had that mischievous twinkle in her eye. "We don't _have_ to stay in," she said.

"Nope!" Lee replied smugly. "They _suggest_ it, and they make it sound like it's for our own good, but they don't _require_ us to stay in the Tower."

"So," Harry added, his own embarrassment forgotten at the prospect, "Who wants to take bets on who they'll show?"

"Now I really wish the twins were here," Lee murmured. "They'd love this."

Harry knew he wasn't supposed to hear the comment, but it gave him an idea. "Doesn't anyone in the House have floo powder? Or a fast owl?" he whispered back.

Lee looked shocked for a minute, and then another grin lit his face. "I'll be right back," he announced. "I've got a bet ledger in my trunk," he declared before all but sprinting up the stairs.

((o))

"So, no professors yet," Ginny whispered as they took their usual seats at Gryffindor's table. Seeing most of the older students getting ready for lunch, many of the younger years had decided to do the same, and so fully three quarters of the House of Lions were now sitting expectantly at their table. A suspiciously large gap next to Lee contained the Weasley twins, who were both testing a new invisibility prank.

Once she had heard that they were coming, Hermione had declared that this was a perfect way to test their theory about the potion fumes. If the gas had simply spread through the school that afternoon, it would be well dissipated, and no newcomers would be affected. If the students were carrying it, however, Fred and George would become affected too.

The Gryffindors sat for almost five minutes, chatting softly, before Fawkes appeared above Harry's seat. He dropped a scroll onto the boy's plate before flying over to Dumbledore's seat and perching on the back of his chair. Harry quickly opened the scroll and skimmed it before reading it out to his Housemates.

" _My Dear Boy, did the Gryffindors not get Fawkes' note earlier? Students are not required to eat in the Great Hall today. Lunch is already being prepared for your classmates in the Tower, if you would like to return. Headmaster Dumbledore._ "

Harry smirked, and muffled sniggers from Lee's area of the table answered him. "Thank you, Fawkes," Harry began, "but we-"

Before Harry could continue, the doors to the Great Hall were flung open, and what appeared to be most of the Slytherin House trooped in. They froze when they saw the Gryffindors, but after a moment Draco sniffed and continued to walk to his seat. The rest of his House recovered their composure and followed.

"Trust the Snakes to think of the same thing as us," Ginny murmured. "Now the teachers _have_ to come."

Grinning in reply, Harry turned to address Fawkes again. "As I was saying, Fawkes, thank you for the offer, but we, and apparently the Slytherins, would prefer to eat in the Great Hall today." Fawkes dipped his tail in a disapproving way before disappearing in a flash.

"Now taking bets on Filch showing Mrs. Norris." One of the twins whispered, causing Seamus to gag at the thought, and Harry and the others to laugh at his discomfort.

"How long do you think it will take them?" Hermione asked a few minutes later.

"They were probably fighting over who has to come," Ron suggested. "So probably any minute now."

After a few minutes, during which a handful of older Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, including Luna, had wandered in, the Great Hall doors opened flamboyantly, and several teachers trooped in. Dumbledore was in the lead, and each professor had a small cloud floating over their head.

"Cheaters," one twin whispered.

Harry was just contemplating going for his wand when a breeze picked up over the Slytherin table and raced through the room. Within seconds, the clouds had been shredded, revealing the professors' apparitions. Dumbledore had paused when the wind spell was cast, but then he gamely marched on, an older wizard that Harry didn't recognize floating above his head. He heard a gasp from one of the Gryffindor Chasers, and decided to ask them about it later. Snape was next, wearing the most foreboding scowl Harry had ever seen on his dour face. His specter was of Lucius Malfoy, and Harry chanced a glance at the Slytherin table in time to see Draco's shock a second before he pulled his mask back together.

Remus followed, and Harry was both surprised and unsurprised to see the returning DADA teacher. On the one hand, he had known about Remus's relationship with Sirius, but on the other hand, he didn't think the other man would be willing to reveal it to the school, given how the Ministry felt about werewolves mating with humans. McGonagall was next, followed by Hooch. It was easy to see why the flying teacher had elected to come, despite not being a House Head, as she and the Gryffindor sported images of each other. With Minerva's specter there, there was no point in her absence. The door closed behind the two females, and Harry felt a little disappointed that the other House Heads weren't there.

"Darn," he heard one of the others whisper, clearly thinking the same thing.

"Talk to the other Houses," Ginny whispered with a smirk. "If we can get everyone here at dinner, the other teachers will have to come."

The rest of the group chuckled as the teachers took their seats. Immediately the food appeared on the House tables, and for a few moments talk was halted. As soon as the gnawing in his stomach was sated, Harry turned to the seventh years. "So who's Dumbledore got?" he asked.

Alicia paled slightly before answering. "We're studying him in History of Magic right now, but the only photos are really old ones. I looked it up, trying to find a picture from the end of the war, but there were none." She paused, but at the others' expectant looks, she continued. "I'm not positive, but I think that's Grindewald."

"The last Dark Lord?" Neville exclaimed as the others gasped.

Harry turned back to the Head table and considered the Headmaster and his soulmate. How would that feel, to be on opposite sides of the war from the one you loved? He had a hard enough time fighting with Draco, and they were only on opposite sides of the Great Hall. How could you deal with the one you loved becoming a monster? With having to defeat them? His respect for the Headmaster grew quite a bit.

"So, who won?" Seamus waved a slice of bread at Lee and the twins, breaking Harry from his thoughts.

"Harry won Remus, of course," Lee replied, looking at the bet ledger.

"The cheat!" one of the twins added.

Harry simply smirked in reply.

"McGonagall and Hooch goes to... Katie," Lee continued. The older girl also smirked, and Harry began to suspect that she had had insider knowledge as well. He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"They always sit next to each other at games," she confided. "And that time I took that Bludger from Goyle and almost collided into the teacher's box? I saw them holding hands. So I guessed."

"I can safely say that no one was remotely close on Dumbledore," Lee finished, "and Snape was a surprise to everyone but Ginny, apparently."

"Way to go sis!" the twins chorused.

"I just threw out the first name that came into my head," Ginny confessed.

"Everyone will get their winnings when we get back upstairs," Lee concluded. "Payouts on the rest of the staff will only happen if we see them at dinner."

The matter settled, the students returned to their meals, but Harry continued to glance at the Head Table throughout the meal. The teachers appeared to relax as no overt comments were made, and by the end of the meal, it could almost be called a normal lunch.

When the group was finished, they got up to leave, but they reached the Great Hall doors at the same time as Draco's group of Slytherins. In an instant Harry took in their specters. Draco had him, of course, and the floating face winked cheekily at himself. Crabbe and Goyle were matched, as were Zabini and Nott, and Moon and Greengrass. Bulstrode and Parkinson both had boys that he recognized as older Slytherins, though he didn't know their names.

"Potter," Malfoy said neutrally.

"Malfoy," Harry replied in the same tone.

"Could we talk privately?" Draco asked.

Harry ignored the quiet catcalls from the twins and nodded. "I'll see you lot later," he told the Gryffindors. As both groups left the Great Hall, being unusually civil towards each other, Harry studied Draco. His mask was firmly in place, but Harry had spent years looking into his silver eyes at the real Draco. As he had thought earlier, there was no disdain, no hatred. Only veiled worry and something else Harry couldn't identify.

"Would you like to go outside?" Harry asked once their friends were gone. "I don't think it's too cold yet."

Draco nodded and they quickly walked out of the front doors. In silence they wandered towards the lake, pausing at the large pens full of nifters that Harry assumed were for the younger Care of Magical Creatures Class.

When a good ten minutes passed in further silence, it seemed that Draco wasn't going to speak first, so Harry finally did. "So, were the Slytherins placing bets on the teacher's soulmates too?" it, perhaps, wasn't the most respectful thing to say, but it was the only icebreaker he could think of.

Draco snorted. "Of course."

"Well you lot had a bit of an advantage over us," Harry smirked. "You knew exactly what substituting a cow's eye for the jaguar eye would do to my potion." It wasn't confirmed, but Harry had seen the official substitutions between the two potions in Angelina's book, and took a good guess.

Draco blushed, then blurted out," well I didn't expect you to amplify the damned thing and curse the whole castle!"

"Was that the only thing you didn't expect?" Harry found himself asking.

Draco was silent for another long moment. "It was supposed to be a prank," he said quietly. "But-"

"But-?" Harry prompted after a minute.

"But I guess I hoped that it would show me, okay!" Draco burst out. Harry enjoyed the flush of color that the outburst brought to Draco's pale cheeks. He wasn't used to seeing the Slytheirn Prince so discomforted, and it was fun to see a less icy side of Draco. He had known it was there, but he had only rarely seen it.

"I'm glad it did," Harry offered, willing to admit as much as Draco had.

Draco froze, his eyes searching Harry's face. "Really?"

"Really," Harry nodded. His heart had skipped a beat the first moment he had seen Draco, and he didn't think he had ever stopped loving him, despite the blonde's attitude ever since. Drawing on his Gryffindor courage, Harry quickly leaned forward and kissed Draco. Seconds later Draco's mouth opened and he returned the kiss passionately. They broke apart a few minutes later, both panting from the effort.

"I think we have some things to talk about," Harry finally said.

"Hi," Draco offered, holding out his hand. "I'm Draco."

Harry laughed and took his hand. Perhaps starting over was a good idea, considering their history. "Hi, I'm Harry."

((o))

When Harry walked into the Gryffindor common room three hours later, it was to catcalls from most of his House. Blushing profusely, he made his way over to the corner that he and his friends had commandeered. "So, not so much a secret anymore," he offered, sliding into his usual chair.

"Not so much," Ginny smirked.

"I can't say I understand why it's Malfoy, Mate," Ron added, "but good job, I guess."

"Thanks," Harry smiled.

"Hey, yours is gone too!" Seamus suddenly burst out.

Harry looked at the blonde boy, who was pointing over his head. Instinctively, Harry looked up before remembering that he had never been able to see his own apparition. "It is? Wait, too?"

"Yeah, Lee's disappeared right after lunch," Ginny said.

Harry immediately turned to Lee, who was sitting between the twins. Sure enough, the faces above his head were gone. Lee was also smirking slightly, and a suspicion began to form in his mind.

"Was Malfoy's gone too, Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry thought for a minute. He couldn't honestly say if his face had still been hanging over Draco's head when they split up at the Charms stairs. He had been more focused on silver eyes and kisses that made his belly flop. "Um, I didn't really notice," he whispered, knowing he was blushing.

Lee's smirk grew even wider, and Harry knew his hunch had been right. "What about you?" he demanded playfully. "You've killed Hermione's test sample with your little post-lunch snog."

"Aw, Harry, you gave away the surprise!" George protested, as Fred affected innocent shock.

Harry noticed Ginny eyeing Hermione out of the corner of his eye, but he was distracted by Dean pouncing onto Seamus and pulling the other boy into an enthusiastic liplock. A minute later they pulled apart, both flushed, amongst enthusiastic cheers and whistles from the rest of the House. Dean had a smug smile, which Harry returned as the others started talking again. Five minutes later, the images faded from above Seamus and Dean.

"So kissing breaks the spell?" Hermione asked, curiosity lacing her voice.

"Like a bad Muggle fairy tale," Harry muttered. Hermione, Dean, Lee, and Katie - the only Muggle-borns in the group - all laughed.

"I don't think it's the kiss," Angelina countered. "From what I've been reading, I think it is more an acknowledgement of the relationship. Kissing is simply an obvious way to indicate acceptance by both parties."

"That's all well and good for some of you," Ron countered gloomily, "but what am I supposed to do?"

The twins smirked. "We could always Owl Ollie for you," they offered in unison.

Ron turned bright pink. "No thanks! I'll handle this on my own!"

"And that still wouldn't work for everyone," Harry added, thinking of what he had seen at lunch. "Not all pairs will be willing to acknowledge a relationship right now. Or at least not both halves of every pair. And some people will never be able to." Ginny clasped his hand comfortingly and he glanced at her. From the sad look in her chocolaty eyes, he knew she was thinking of Remus and Dumbledore too.

"Well, the professors are working on a cure, so I'm sure they'll have a different solution for us soon," Katie offered soothingly.

"Yeah," Parvati agreed, and then turned to Harry with a gleam in her eye. "So Harry, you were gone for a _long_ time. Spill all of the dirty details!"

Harry choked and flushed as Seamus and the twins made catcalls again. When they subsided, he caved. "Honestly, we mostly talked. I mean, there was a bit of kissing, yes," that was pointless to deny, when the evidence was no longer floating over his head. "But mostly it was talking. There are six years of history and misunderstandings and hurt that needed to be dealt with."

Most of the girls nodded sympathetically, while Ginny squeezed his hand reassuringly. "That makes sense," Neville agreed. "For all that you've been attracted to him for years, attraction and getting along aren't the same."

Harry was so grateful that the other boy understood that it took him a moment to process his full sentence. "Wait, what? How did you know I've liked him all along?"

"Well if we didn't, we do now," Alicia teased.

"Oh please, Harry, it was pretty obvious," Hermione added.

"What?" Harry wanted to hide his face in his hands again, but Ginny was still firmly holding on to one.

"Should we count the ways?" Lee teased.

"The way you always stare at him at meals," Parvati offered.

"Why you're so irritable on the train ride each year until he shows up to tease Ron," Ginny added.

"The fact that you sometimes call him Draco before you catch yourself," Neville piped up again.

"Your suggestion to watch the Slyth Quidditch practices in case they were planning anything dirty," Katie tossed in.

"Watching Draco get dirty sessions, more like," Fred finished.

Harry heartily wished that the chair would just open him up and swallow him whole. Had he really been so transparent all these years?

"It wasn't extremely obvious," Hermione reassured him. "You were very subtle about it. But once the potion accident happened..." she waved her hand vaguely over his head, "we began to put a lot of puzzle pieces together."

Well that at least made him feel marginally better. But oh how he hated potions. He never would have had to go through all of this embarrassment if it wasn't for potions.

"Oh! It's almost dinner!" Ron declared as his stomach grumbled.

The group laughed, but Harry instantly latched onto the new topic. "How are we going to get the other two houses there?" he asked quickly.

"We thought of that while you were gone," Ginny said.

Hermione dug into her pocket and pulled out a round disk that Harry recognized. "We used the DA coins to contact the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. All the DA members will be at dinner, and they're going to try to get the rest of their Houses to come too."

"Great. The Slyths are still in, of course," Harry added, his embarrassment fading as the conversation switched away from himself. Draco had been quite amused to find out that the Lions had thought of the same thing as he and the Snakes, and was quite proud of Harry for out-Slytherining the professors, as he had put it.

"Oh, and another letter came suggesting that we all eat dinner in here," Katie piped up, "but it was really half-hearted. I think they've accepted the fact that we've already seen their images."

"Shall we go down early?" Seamus suggested. "Watch the others come in?"

"Sure," Harry agreed with a smirk. "We wouldn't want to miss the show."

((o))

Unfortunately, when they arrived at the Great Hall, they found all of the teachers sitting calmly at the Head Table, with narry a floating face in sight. A large clear vial sat in the middle of the table, with a very pale yellow mist oozing out of it.

The again invisible twins gave matching groans of disappointment, which were echoed by many others in the group. They walked to their usual seats anyway, and sat down. "Dang," Seamus pouted, taking a seat next to Dean. "I really wanted to see the others."

"I guess I'll have to return everyone's bets," Lee sighed.

Harry didn't comment. As fun as it would have been to see the rest of the teachers' secrets, he was more interested now in his own plan. The other Houses arrived soon after, including the rest of the Gryffindors and all of the Slytherins except Draco's clique. Ginny was the only one to notice the lack, and she had glanced questioningly at Harry, who merely smirked in return.

As the other students filed in, he noticed quite a few new couples, all apparently freed of their soulmate specters. As the yellow vapor began to disperse throughout the Hall, however, more and more of the images faded away.

At last, Draco's gang entered. Harry was amused to note that all of their images had already been taken care of, and that they were all walking in couples, save for Draco, of course. Their eyes met across the Hall, and Draco smirked. Then, abandoning his group, following the plan he and Harry had come up with, he slowly walked over to the Gryffindor table.

Later, Ginny would inform him that every eye, including those of the teachers, had followed the blonde, but at the moment all Harry could see was silver. When Draco got to the Gryffindors, Harry stood, and they kissed sweetly for a long moment. They pulled apart far too soon for Harry's liking, but they did need to eat dinner. As the rest of the school stared, Draco ruffled Harry's already messy hair and then turned to walk to his own seat.

Harry sat back down and began to calmly drink his pumpkin juice. After a few long moments of silence, the Hall burst back into life, noise swelling to fill the space. Beneath the din, so low only his closest friends could hear, Harry smirked and declared, "I _love_ potions."


End file.
